Steam or dry hair curler heating apparatus

ABSTRACT

A hair curler heating apparatus providing combined heating effects so that hair curlers can be, in accordance with the preference of the user, selectively heated solely by dry heat from within or can be heated from within by dry heat and simultaneously heated from the outside by means of heated water vapor or steam to provide damp curler. The apparatus includes an electrically heated metallic base having a peripheral lip surrounding a flat, upwardly directed, water receiving, retaining and evaporating area to which a plurality of curler supporting mandrels are secured. A non-metallic chassis and housing structure to which the peripheral lip is attached in water-tight relationship supports the metallic base. A removable cover overlies the upwardly directed area and normally encloses the mandrels and any curlers thereon for retaining heated air and/or water vapor thereabout so that the curlers can be selectively heated with or without the presence of heated water vapor. A measuring cup sized to introduce an appropriate quantity of water to the upwardly directed area is provided.

United States Patent De Napoli [4 1 May 30, 1972 54] STEAM 0 DRY HAIR CURLER HEATING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Robert A. De Napoli, Chicago, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Northern Electric Company, Chicago, Ill. [22] Filed: July'l3, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 54,160

[52] US. Cl ..219/222, 21/95, 99/442, 126/20, 132/33 R, 219/275, 219/401, 219/521 [51] Int. Cl ...A45d 4/12, H05b 3/02 [58] Field of Search ..219/222-226, 214, 219/218, 401, 385, 386, 520, 521, 430, 439, 271,

Johnson ..219/222 UX Johnson ..219/242 ABSTRACT A hair curler heating apparatus providing combined heating effects so that hair curlers can be, in accordance with the preference of the user, selectively heated solely by dry heat from within or can be heated from within by dry heat and simultaneously heated from the outside by means of heated water vapor or steam to provide damp curler. The apparatus includes an electrically heated metallic base having a peripheral lip surrounding a flat, upwardly directed, water receiving, retaining and evaporating area to which a plurality of curler supporting mandrels are secured. A non-metallic chassis and housing structure to which the peripheral lip is attached in water-tight relationship supports the metallic base. A removable cover overlies the'upwardly directed area and normally encloses the mandrels and any curlers thereon for retaining heated air and/or water vapor thereabout so that the curlers can be selectively heated with or without the presence of heated water vapor. A measuring cup sized to introduce an appropriate quantity of water to the upwardly directed area is provided.

12 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented May 30, 1972 3,666,915

1? wafer 4. Dal/4P0 STEAM OR DRY HAIR CURLER HEATING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to apparatus for heating separate hair curlers that are thereafter removed from the heating means and applied to the hair.

2. Prior Art It has been known heretofore to provide an apparatus for heating hair curlers from within. Some of the users of this type of apparatus have found that the hot dry heat provided by such a curler can in some instances split hair ends. This condition is not entirely the fault of the curler, but is in part caused by the nature of the hair itself.

l-leretofore, it has also been known to heat a hair curler by storing it in a chamber or on a mandrel wherein it is subjected to heated water vapor or steam. This type of apparatus has encountered certain difficulties, one of which is that some users prefer to have dry curlers since they are not affected by any split hair end problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to my invention, a hair curling apparatus is provided which has combined heating means so that the hair curler can be, in accordance with the preference of the user, selectably heated solely by dry heat from within, or in the alternative, can be heated from within by dry heat and simultaneously heated from the outside by means of heated water vapor or steam to provide a slightly damp curler against which the free ends of the hair are wound.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hair curling apparatus capable of selectably heating hair curlers by dry heat or by heated water vapor.

A further object of the present invention is to provide hair curling apparatus which will evaporate water to provide heated water vapor at a temperature above that of the hair curler, the temperature of the hair curler being below the dew point of such heated water vapor so that water will condense directly thereon. 7

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

ON THE DRAWING AS SHOWN ON THE DRAWING The principles of the present invention are particularly useful when embodied in hair curling apparatus such as illustrated in FIG. 1, generally indicated by the numeral 10. The apparatus 10 is constructed to enable the user to selectively heat hair curlers either with or without heated water vapor or steam so as to provide either moist or dry hair curlers that have been heated. To that end, the apparatus 10 includes a chassis 11 supported on a bottom cover 12 and supporting a horizontal base 13 to which is secured heating means 14. The chassis 11 also supports a housing 15 which is open at the top and the front, such opening being closed by a cover 16. The housing 15 has a skirt 17 that encircles the device and to which a carrying handle 18 is pivotally secured. The base 13 has a set of mandrels 19-22, each of which supports a hair curler, one of which is illustrated at 23. The base has a peripheral lip 24 which surrounds and encloses an upwardly directed area 25, which is generally central and flat, and to which the mandrels 19 are secured in heat transfer relationship. The upwardly directed area 25 is imperforate and is thus capable of receiving and retaining a quantity of water. The housing 15 has a floor 26 which overlies the upwardly directed area 25 and which has an aperture 27 for each of the mandrels 19-22 through which heated water vapor or steam may pass, for flowing upwardly against individual curlers 23. Water-tight seal means are provided between the base 13 and the chassis 11, and between the chassis 11 and the housing 15. The first of these seal means, best seen in FIG. 2 is indicated at 28 and the second of such water-tight seals isindicated at 29. A preferred type of sealing material for the seals 28, 29 is a silicone rubber compound which is referred to as being room temperature vulcanizable, and such compounds are available from General Electric Company and Dow Corning Company. The seal can be thoroughly cured at the factory if desired, and if not done then, the first use of the device will complete any incomplete curing, as water is a catalyst therefor.

The housing 15 has a well or pocket 30 within which there is received a measuring cup 31 having internal ribs, the cup 31 being thereby stored within the device. The cup 31 has a grasping portion 32 which projects upwardly from the well 30. If desired, a quantity. of water may be stored in the cup 30 for future use, but it is not intended to heat any water in the cup 31 and therefore the well 30 and hence the cup 31 is disposed in upwardly spaced relation from the heating means 14 so that no functionally significant heating thereof should be expected.

The chassis 11 is secured by a number of screws 33 to the bottom cover 12 which has a set of feet 34 for supporting the curling apparatus 10 slightly above the surface of a table. The base 13 is similarly secured by screws (not shown) to an overhanging portion 35-of the chassis which surrounds the seal 28 on three sides, an upper edge of the lip 24 projecting into the seal 28, whereby there is a water-tight connection along the entire periphery of the horizontal base 13 with respect to the chassis 1 1.

In a similar fashion, at the peripheral lip 24 of the base 13, the housing 15 also has a portion or groove 36 which is adjacent to the lip 24 for receiving and retaining the upper water-tight seal 29, a portion of the chassis extending as a rib 37 into such upper seal 29. The floor 26 of the chassis 15 is integral with that part of the housing that is adjacent to the peripheral lip 24 so that the floor 26 is likewise sealed at its periphery to the lip 24. Thus, a water and steam cavity 38 is formed between the upwardly directed area 25 of the base 13 and the apertured floor 26 so that heated water vapor or steam may escape about each of the mandrels 19-22 to engage one of the curlers 23 to heat the same from the outside. The floor 26 also prevents anyone from having their fingers come into contact with the heated water in the cavity 38 or in contact with the upwardly directed area 25 of the base 13. The mandrels 19-22 are in heat transfer relation with both the base 13 .and the curlers 23 so that as the upwardly directed area 25 is heated from below, the curlers 23 become heated from within. The heat transfer path between the heating means 14 and the upwardly directed area 25 is somewhat shorter and more efiicient than that path through the mandrels for heating the curlers 23 from within. Accordingly, as the device is turned on, the temperature of the curlers 23 will lag the temperature of the water vapor that is generated and thus will be cooler in the presence of a more or less saturated ambient whereby some water vapor will condense on the outside of the curlers 23 to coat the same with moisture. The heated water vapor surrounding the curlers 23 will of course heat the curlers 23 from the outside.

The removable cover 16 lies primarily over the upwardly directed area 25 to enclose the mandrels and the curlers, and the cover 16 serves to retain heated air, to retain heated water vapor, to minimize circulation with the atmosphere, and to close up the device when it is not in use. The cover 16 does not have a tight seal with the housing 15 so that as any pressure builds up, any excess water vapor can readily escape to the atmosphere.

If the user desires to have dry curlers 23, no water is poured into the cavity 38. If the user prefers to have moist curlers, the quantity of water provided by the measuring cup 31 is added to the cavity 38, and the quantity issuch that the curlers 23 will have become heated and ready for use before the heat that is applied from within re-evaporates the moisture on the outside of the curlers 23.

The skirt 17 not only encloses the remainder of the housing 15, the chassis 11 and the water-tight seals, but also provides an air pocket about the device so that the exposed outer surface does not become excessively warm and so that a measure of insulation is provided for the contents.

The cover 16 has a handle 39 by which it may be removed and replaced. Controls (not shown) for the heating means 14 are provided in the housing 15 just toward the viewer from the cup 31, which controls are conventional and which have been removed from the illustration for ease of showing the cup 31.

Although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution of the art.

I claim:

1. Hair curling apparatus comprising:

a. a horizontal base having a peripheral lip surrounding an upwardly directed area for receiving, retaining and evaporating a quantity of water;

b. a non-metallic chassis to which said lip is attached;

c. water-tight sealing means between said lip and said chassis along the entire length of said lip;

d. a number of mandrels secured to said base in heat transfer relation to said base and extending upwardly from said area, each of said mandrels having a construction for transferring heat to a hair curler received thereon;

e. means secured to said base for applying heat thereto; and

f. a removable cover overlying said area for normally en closing said mandrels and curlers thereon for retaining heated air and any water vapor therein; whereby the curlers may be selectively heated with or without the presence of heated water vapor.

2. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 1 including a floor overlying said area and having apertures of larger size than said mandrels through which said mandrels extend, the perimeter of said floor having a water-tight seal adjacent to said lip for thereby directing hot water vapor to discharge through said apertures onto the curlers.

3. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 1 including a measuring cup sized to provide said quantity of water, and means secured to said base for storing said cup remotely from said heat-applying means.

4. Hair curling apparatus comprising:

a. a horizontal base having a peripheral lip surrounding an upwardly directed area for receiving, retaining and evaporating a quantity of water;

b. a number of mandrels secured to said base in heat transfer relation to said base and extending upwardly from said area, each of said mandrels having a construction for transferring heat to a hair curler received thereon; a

c. means secured to said base for applying heat thereto;

d. a removable cover overlying said area for normally enclosing said mandrels and curlers thereon for retaining heated air and any water vapor therein;

e. a chassis supporting said base at its periphery;

f. a housing supported by said base at said periphery, and

supporting said cover; and i g. water-tight sealing means acting between said base, said chassis and said housing and limiting any water vapor escape to the periphery of said cover.

5. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 4 in which said housing surrounds said base and said mandrels.

6. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 4 in which said chassis depends downwardly from the periphery of said base.

7. Hair curling apparatus comprising:

a. a horizontal base having a peripheral lip surrounding an upwardly directed area for receiving, retaining and evaporating a quantity of water;

b. a number of mandrels secured to said base in heat transfer relation to said base and extending upwardly from said area, each of said mandrels having a construction for transferring heat to a hair curler received thereon; I

0. means secured to said base for applying heat thereto;

d. a removable cover overlying said area for normally enclosing said mandrels and curlers thereon for retaining heated air and any water vapor therein;

e. a chassis supporting said base at its periphery with a water-tight seal therebetween;

f. a housing supported by said base adjacent to said periphery with a water-tight seal between said housing and said chassis, and said housing supporting said cover; and

g. a bottom cover secured to the lower side of said chassis in spaced relation to said heat applying means, and adapted to support the apparatus.

8. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 7 in which said housing has a skirt secured thereto adjacent to said cover, and surrounding said housing, said chassis and said water-tight seals.

9. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 8 including a carrying handle pivotally secured to said housing skirt.

10. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 7 in which said housing has a floor secured thereto adjacent to its watertight seal and overlying said base area, and through which said mandrels project.

11. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 7 in which 

1. Hair curling apparatus comprising: a. a horizontal base having a peripheral lip surrounding an upwardly directed area for receiving, retaining and evaporating a quantity of water; b. a non-metallic chassis to which said lip is attached; c. water-tight sealing means between said lip and said chassis along the entire length of said lip; d. a number of mandrels secured to said base in heat transfer relation to said base and extending upwardly from said area, each of said mandrels having a construction for transferring heat to a hair curler received thereon; e. means secured to said base for applying heat thereto; and f. a removable cover Overlying said area for normally enclosing said mandrels and curlers thereon for retaining heated air and any water vapor therein; whereby the curlers may be selectively heated with or without the presence of heated water vapor.
 2. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 1 including a floor overlying said area and having apertures of larger size than said mandrels through which said mandrels extend, the perimeter of said floor having a water-tight seal adjacent to said lip for thereby directing hot water vapor to discharge through said apertures onto the curlers.
 3. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 1 including a measuring cup sized to provide said quantity of water, and means secured to said base for storing said cup remotely from said heat-applying means.
 4. Hair curling apparatus comprising: a. a horizontal base having a peripheral lip surrounding an upwardly directed area for receiving, retaining and evaporating a quantity of water; b. a number of mandrels secured to said base in heat transfer relation to said base and extending upwardly from said area, each of said mandrels having a construction for transferring heat to a hair curler received thereon; c. means secured to said base for applying heat thereto; d. a removable cover overlying said area for normally enclosing said mandrels and curlers thereon for retaining heated air and any water vapor therein; e. a chassis supporting said base at its periphery; f. a housing supported by said base at said periphery, and supporting said cover; and g. water-tight sealing means acting between said base, said chassis and said housing and limiting any water vapor escape to the periphery of said cover.
 5. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 4 in which said housing surrounds said base and said mandrels.
 6. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 4 in which said chassis depends downwardly from the periphery of said base.
 7. Hair curling apparatus comprising: a. a horizontal base having a peripheral lip surrounding an upwardly directed area for receiving, retaining and evaporating a quantity of water; b. a number of mandrels secured to said base in heat transfer relation to said base and extending upwardly from said area, each of said mandrels having a construction for transferring heat to a hair curler received thereon; c. means secured to said base for applying heat thereto; d. a removable cover overlying said area for normally enclosing said mandrels and curlers thereon for retaining heated air and any water vapor therein; e. a chassis supporting said base at its periphery with a water-tight seal therebetween; f. a housing supported by said base adjacent to said periphery with a water-tight seal between said housing and said chassis, and said housing supporting said cover; and g. a bottom cover secured to the lower side of said chassis in spaced relation to said heat applying means, and adapted to support the apparatus.
 8. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 7 in which said housing has a skirt secured thereto adjacent to said cover, and surrounding said housing, said chassis and said water-tight seals.
 9. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 8 including a carrying handle pivotally secured to said housing skirt.
 10. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 7 in which said housing has a floor secured thereto adjacent to its water-tight seal and overlying said base area, and through which said mandrels project.
 11. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 7 in which said housing surrounds said base and said mandrels.
 12. Hair curling apparatus according to claim 7 in which said chassis depends downwardly from the periphery of said base. 